Had a reservation for 6 for my son's 18th birthday on Saturday night. Strega allows 90 minutes for a reservation. Our waiter was very knowledgeable about the menu but rushed us through ordering. We ordered 3,appetizers and also drinks. He then took the menus away and pretty much forced us to order. The whole dinner was rushed. very uncomfortable. we asked for coffee and were told they didnt do coffee or desert?! we were out on the street in 60 minutes. Ridiculous. would never go back.
Galini P.
Terrible service. Would not recommend! Our party of 3 arrived for our reservation promptly at 9pm and checked in. The host asked us to wait outside (it was drizzling) until our table was ready. 20' later we go back in and a different host gives us an insincere excuse that there's drunk people who won't leave their table and a group of girls that came an hour later than they were supposed to. What a pathetic excuse since when you confirm your reservation you get a text say that specifically says you have a 15' grace period to arrive and 1hr30' to stay at your table. It's also noteworthy, that I made this reservation 3 weeks prior. The host proceeds to walk us over to "Nico", their sister restaurant, and promises to cover a couple of appetizers. On a Friday night at 9:30pm we had limited options so we complied. The food at "Nico" was decent, but they only brought out calamari and not "a couple of appetizers" as promised. What really left a bitter taste in my mouth was that when they handed us our bill, they already included a 20% tip. Pretty presumptuous for a restaurant that took 30' to get our dinner out. This was the most repulsive way I've been treated by a restaurant that I have been looking forward to trying out with my 2 girlfriends.
Paola Palma Sisto
Quick late lunch. We had the eggplant rolattini and gnocchi. Sauce flavor was excellent. There was more sauce and cheese to gnocchi which were swimming in sauce so not as enjoyable. The eggplant flavor was very good, I like a bit more spice and I like the fried eggplant crispy. So the place is iconic but had a few drawbacks today.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Eddie D
The place is so small and they jam people in too tight. The waitstaff had 2 crashes while I was there. One was a glass that smashed to the ground with a coffee drink inside all over my cream colored coat and the person next to me coat also. Nobody said anything to either of us about our coats or even asked if the glass hurt anyone. The gnocchi was tasteless and bland and the skillet outside was hot but the cheese wasn't even melted. It was gross lumps in cold sauce. The waiter never came back to check us during the entire meal. Avoid this place. So many better in the North End
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Margarita Lopez-Towle
Cool spot but like a club for brunch! Definitely didn't expect it so was loud to me. But after two drinks, I was dancing to their very loud music! Service was nice but I had to yell a lot. Cool drink trees!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Dodge Tucker
The best people, the best food, and overall cool spotRosanna, Dave, and Phil represent hospitality at its highest levelHighly recommend doing family style and let Carlo take the wheelParking: Valet at front of restaurant
Bald dude(no beard) spilled cheese on my girlfriend…
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Bianca Orlando
Horrible service… the bald guy (no beard) was extremely rude. Service was completely rushed and very unwelcoming. Spilled cheese all over my new jeans. Didn’t even get us water nor gave us the opportunity for appetizers and dessert. The only reason why I was there was to celebrate a birthday and expressed it very clearly. While 3 tables around us were brought cake and sung happy birthday, my friend was left unnoticed… dissatisfied doesn’t even cut it. Will not be returning.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Margherita Lamlaihi
My sister, brother-in-law and I went to Strega, Hanover St, Boston, last Friday afternoon. I don't brag about Italian cooking because I'm an incredible cook myself. But, I do have to brag about Strega's. I ordered the eggplant rollantini and asked for it as a meal. My other request was that I have Bolognese sauce instead of the plain marinara sauce. Well, the eggplant was overstuffed with ricotta filling and was amazing. The sauce was magnificent. They even had small pieces of steak in it. As I said, I don't usually recommend a restaurant because they're usually not worth it. They had the wheel of fresh Romano cheese covered in front of the bar and grated as much as you wanted in your plate. The olive oil they served at the table tasted like a 1st press. The owners daughter was there and was very talkative and cordial to us. At first I told the owner to give kudos to the chef, but later i I was able to meet him and tell him how perfect the food was and how much I appreciated him. Strega, North End, is the place to go for amazing food. Dont just take my word for it. And, as you might have figured out, I highly recommend this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ash R
We had a brunch reservation for 1:15 and did not sit until 2:30. There needs to be a better system for time slots when it comes to brunch. When we had talked to the hostess and manager they were not helpful and disrespectful. It was not a good experience and we were rushed to order almost immediately upon sitting down. We were also crammed into the corner and there was no urgency to help us get seated since they were over an hour behind/delayed. The food and atmosphere was good but service could improve.
My husband & I & my sister dined @ Strega on Hanover St, 3/8/24. Although we arrived early for our 1pm reservation we were seated immediately because the restaurant was not crowded. The young woman was very pleasant & answered all our questions about the menu. We received Italian bread that was nice & crusty on the outside & soft inside to dip in our olive oil. Sergio filled our water glasses & was attentive to refill them as needed without having to ask. My sister ordered eggplant rollatini: sautéed eggplant with a creamy ricotta & mascarpone filling, nicely seasoned. It was delicious! My husband had linguine in a zucchini pesto sauce with a dollop of whipped ricotta & mascarpone. Delicious! I had linguine and little neck clams in a zucchini pesto sauce. Delicious! Each serving was generous as was the extra virgin olive oil that accompanied it. OMG, it was all so tasty! Of course, we had to have dessert & coffee. We chose "3cups" .....it came in a round clear cup with what seemed like dark chocolate mousse on the bottom, a milk chocolate mousse in the middle & a creamy white topping. Needless to say, it was delicious! I had a cup of cappuccino which was perfect tasting & with a nice froth on top. My sister had a mocha coffee which she liked very much.. The dining area is small, tables & chairs are close, but there is a large window that everyone can see out. Lighting inside was pleasant. Ladies Room was handicapped accessible & spotless. Men's room was very small. There were 2 tables with 6-8 people celebrating birthdays.....it was loud, but we enjoyed everything going on. In fact, the young lady @ 1 table celebrating her 32nd BD , paid our restaurant tab! We had such a wonderful time, we plan to return soon! PS: My sister, who loves to cook , even had a chance to talk with the cook. What a wonderful experience! We highly recommend this restaurant!
Nicol P.
We always enjoyed our visits to this restaurant. My husband and I live in the area and come here often for drinks. Yesterday we dined in and had a lovely experience. There were live tenor singers, service was excellent, and food was delicious.
Richard Lee
Life is Short. F…it up. Family, Flavor, FriendsHaven’t wanted to check out this place for a long time at high expectations. Sitting down for dinner at this place was very loud and very crowded. I forget how small the restaurants are in the north end. Who is at the whip ricotta the calamari. The Bolognese, the Alfredo, pasta and much anticipated wheel of cheese pasta. All all the food was just mediocre. Unfortunately I had such high hopes. The pasta in the wheel of cheese was also very disappointment as they just did it with hot water instead of the liquor. It’s supposed to be a show at a dinner that they bring over to your table but because the restaurant was so small we had to go to the other side of the restaurant just to watch him Scrape the cheese with spoons and hot water. I know the north end is known for spray, food and great flavors. I guess this time was an off night..
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Dawank Patel
Terrible service terrible
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Greg Soule
Food was very disappointing. Nothing special whatsoever and frankly way overpriced. Store-bought croutons in a $15 Cesar devoid of any trace of anchovy. Mid-level saltimbocca. Barolo by the glass tasted like it had been open for 3 days. Zero whiskey selection.
Had a reservation for 6 for my son's 18th birthday on Saturday night. Strega allows 90 minutes for a reservation. Our waiter was very knowledgeable about the menu but rushed us through ordering. We ordered 3,appetizers and also drinks. He then took the menus away and pretty much forced us to order. The whole dinner was rushed. very uncomfortable. we asked for coffee and were told they didnt do coffee or desert?! we were out on the street in 60 minutes. Ridiculous. would never go back.
Terrible service. Would not recommend! Our party of 3 arrived for our reservation promptly at 9pm and checked in. The host asked us to wait outside (it was drizzling) until our table was ready. 20' later we go back in and a different host gives us an insincere excuse that there's drunk people who won't leave their table and a group of girls that came an hour later than they were supposed to. What a pathetic excuse since when you confirm your reservation you get a text say that specifically says you have a 15' grace period to arrive and 1hr30' to stay at your table. It's also noteworthy, that I made this reservation 3 weeks prior. The host proceeds to walk us over to "Nico", their sister restaurant, and promises to cover a couple of appetizers. On a Friday night at 9:30pm we had limited options so we complied. The food at "Nico" was decent, but they only brought out calamari and not "a couple of appetizers" as promised. What really left a bitter taste in my mouth was that when they handed us our bill, they already included a 20% tip. Pretty presumptuous for a restaurant that took 30' to get our dinner out. This was the most repulsive way I've been treated by a restaurant that I have been looking forward to trying out with my 2 girlfriends.
Quick late lunch. We had the eggplant rolattini and gnocchi. Sauce flavor was excellent. There was more sauce and cheese to gnocchi which were swimming in sauce so not as enjoyable. The eggplant flavor was very good, I like a bit more spice and I like the fried eggplant crispy. So the place is iconic but had a few drawbacks today.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
The place is so small and they jam people in too tight. The waitstaff had 2 crashes while I was there. One was a glass that smashed to the ground with a coffee drink inside all over my cream colored coat and the person next to me coat also. Nobody said anything to either of us about our coats or even asked if the glass hurt anyone. The gnocchi was tasteless and bland and the skillet outside was hot but the cheese wasn't even melted. It was gross lumps in cold sauce. The waiter never came back to check us during the entire meal. Avoid this place. So many better in the North End
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Cool spot but like a club for brunch! Definitely didn't expect it so was loud to me. But after two drinks, I was dancing to their very loud music! Service was nice but I had to yell a lot. Cool drink trees!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
The best people, the best food, and overall cool spotRosanna, Dave, and Phil represent hospitality at its highest levelHighly recommend doing family style and let Carlo take the wheelParking: Valet at front of restaurant
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu, Eggplant Rollatini, Gnocchi Sorentina, Lasagna Bolognese, Caprese Salad, Ravioli All'Aragosta, Pappardelle Bolognese, Tortelloni Alla Panna, Mamma's Meatball, Mushroom Trifolati, Octopus, Chicken Limoncello, Chicken Marsala, Chicken Parm, Fra Diavolo, Chocolate Mousse, Veal Chop, Chicken Valdostana, Fritto Di Calamari, Seafood
Bald dude(no beard) spilled cheese on my girlfriend…
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Horrible service… the bald guy (no beard) was extremely rude. Service was completely rushed and very unwelcoming. Spilled cheese all over my new jeans. Didn’t even get us water nor gave us the opportunity for appetizers and dessert. The only reason why I was there was to celebrate a birthday and expressed it very clearly. While 3 tables around us were brought cake and sung happy birthday, my friend was left unnoticed… dissatisfied doesn’t even cut it. Will not be returning.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
My sister, brother-in-law and I went to Strega, Hanover St, Boston, last Friday afternoon. I don't brag about Italian cooking because I'm an incredible cook myself. But, I do have to brag about Strega's. I ordered the eggplant rollantini and asked for it as a meal. My other request was that I have Bolognese sauce instead of the plain marinara sauce. Well, the eggplant was overstuffed with ricotta filling and was amazing. The sauce was magnificent. They even had small pieces of steak in it. As I said, I don't usually recommend a restaurant because they're usually not worth it. They had the wheel of fresh Romano cheese covered in front of the bar and grated as much as you wanted in your plate. The olive oil they served at the table tasted like a 1st press. The owners daughter was there and was very talkative and cordial to us. At first I told the owner to give kudos to the chef, but later i I was able to meet him and tell him how perfect the food was and how much I appreciated him. Strega, North End, is the place to go for amazing food. Dont just take my word for it. And, as you might have figured out, I highly recommend this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had a brunch reservation for 1:15 and did not sit until 2:30. There needs to be a better system for time slots when it comes to brunch. When we had talked to the hostess and manager they were not helpful and disrespectful. It was not a good experience and we were rushed to order almost immediately upon sitting down. We were also crammed into the corner and there was no urgency to help us get seated since they were over an hour behind/delayed. The food and atmosphere was good but service could improve.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 2
Restaurantji Recommends
My husband & I & my sister dined @ Strega on Hanover St, 3/8/24. Although we arrived early for our 1pm reservation we were seated immediately because the restaurant was not crowded. The young woman was very pleasant & answered all our questions about the menu. We received Italian bread that was nice & crusty on the outside & soft inside to dip in our olive oil. Sergio filled our water glasses & was attentive to refill them as needed without having to ask. My sister ordered eggplant rollatini: sautéed eggplant with a creamy ricotta & mascarpone filling, nicely seasoned. It was delicious! My husband had linguine in a zucchini pesto sauce with a dollop of whipped ricotta & mascarpone. Delicious! I had linguine and little neck clams in a zucchini pesto sauce. Delicious! Each serving was generous as was the extra virgin olive oil that accompanied it. OMG, it was all so tasty! Of course, we had to have dessert & coffee. We chose "3cups" .....it came in a round clear cup with what seemed like dark chocolate mousse on the bottom, a milk chocolate mousse in the middle & a creamy white topping. Needless to say, it was delicious! I had a cup of cappuccino which was perfect tasting & with a nice froth on top. My sister had a mocha coffee which she liked very much.. The dining area is small, tables & chairs are close, but there is a large window that everyone can see out. Lighting inside was pleasant. Ladies Room was handicapped accessible & spotless. Men's room was very small. There were 2 tables with 6-8 people celebrating birthdays.....it was loud, but we enjoyed everything going on. In fact, the young lady @ 1 table celebrating her 32nd BD , paid our restaurant tab! We had such a wonderful time, we plan to return soon! PS: My sister, who loves to cook , even had a chance to talk with the cook. What a wonderful experience! We highly recommend this restaurant!
We always enjoyed our visits to this restaurant. My husband and I live in the area and come here often for drinks. Yesterday we dined in and had a lovely experience. There were live tenor singers, service was excellent, and food was delicious.
Life is Short. F…it up. Family, Flavor, FriendsHaven’t wanted to check out this place for a long time at high expectations. Sitting down for dinner at this place was very loud and very crowded. I forget how small the restaurants are in the north end. Who is at the whip ricotta the calamari. The Bolognese, the Alfredo, pasta and much anticipated wheel of cheese pasta. All all the food was just mediocre. Unfortunately I had such high hopes. The pasta in the wheel of cheese was also very disappointment as they just did it with hot water instead of the liquor. It’s supposed to be a show at a dinner that they bring over to your table but because the restaurant was so small we had to go to the other side of the restaurant just to watch him Scrape the cheese with spoons and hot water. I know the north end is known for spray, food and great flavors. I guess this time was an off night..
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Terrible service terrible
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Food was very disappointing. Nothing special whatsoever and frankly way overpriced. Store-bought croutons in a $15 Cesar devoid of any trace of anchovy. Mid-level saltimbocca. Barolo by the glass tasted like it had been open for 3 days. Zero whiskey selection.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 3